Technical Proposal for Waste Management & Urban Cleanliness Public Contracts
Household waste management represents a major budget item for local authorities: refuse collection, selective sorting, waste transfer stations, energy recovery and industrial composting. These public service contracts require thorough knowledge of ICPE regulations, the AGEC law and EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) schemes, while meeting source reduction and recovery rate targets set by the Waste Framework Directive.
Regulatory Framework: ICPE, AGEC Law and Waste Framework Directive
Waste regulations are built around several foundational texts that structure the entire sector.
ICPE classifications for waste facilities
Waste collection, transit, sorting and treatment facilities fall under ICPE regulations (Classified Installations for Environmental Protection). Key headings include: 2710 (non-hazardous collection), 2714 (transit), 2718 (sorting centres), 2760 (non-hazardous landfill — ISDND) and 2771 (thermal treatment). The technical proposal must demonstrate compliance of each facility with the applicable heading requirements, including specific prefectoral orders.
AGEC Law and recovery targets
The Anti-Waste for a Circular Economy Act (2020) sets ambitious targets: 15% household waste reduction by 2030, end of landfilling recoverable waste by 2025, 100% recycled plastics by 2025. The proposal must integrate these targets with concrete solutions for source reduction, sorting development and optimised recovery streams. The TGAP (General Tax on Polluting Activities), which increases progressively for landfill and non-recovery incineration, is a decisive economic lever.
Waste Framework Directive and treatment hierarchy
Directive 2008/98/EC imposes a treatment hierarchy: prevention, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, disposal. Any technical proposal must demonstrate that the proposed solution respects this hierarchy and favours the most virtuous treatment methods.
Household Waste Collection: Sizing and Organisation
Collection is the operational core of the contract. Its sizing determines service quality and budget control.
Bin fleet sizing and collection frequencies
The proposal must present a detailed collection plan: number of wheeled bins per sector (120L to 770L), collection frequency (2x, 3x, 5x weekly depending on urban density), litres/inhabitant/week ratio, and presentation rate. Underground and semi-underground containers complement door-to-door collection in dense areas.
Refuse truck fleet and route optimisation
The choice of refuse collection vehicles (RCV) is critical: payload, capacity (16-26 m³), loading type (rear or side), engine type (diesel, CNG, electric, hydrogen). The proposal must detail optimised route plans with GPS tracking, journey times, collection points per round, and schedules adapted to urban constraints.
Selective collection and waste stream management
Selective sorting involves managing multiple streams: household packaging, glass, bio-waste (mandatory since 2024), paper-cardboard, textiles. Each stream has specific collection, storage and transport constraints. The proposal must present sorting instruction extensions, user awareness campaigns, and rejection rate targets (below 20%).
Waste Transfer Stations, Recovery and Urban Cleanliness
Beyond door-to-door collection, waste contracts often cover transfer station management and public space cleanliness.
Transfer station management and EPR schemes
The transfer station is a key facility: user reception, waste sorting (bulky waste, green waste, WEEE, hazardous household waste, rubble, wood, metals), routing to approved streams. The proposal must present quay organisation, signage, staff training, EPR eco-organisation agreements and tonnage tracking with full traceability.
Recovery: composting, anaerobic digestion, SRF
Recovery is the priority objective. The proposal can include: platform composting (standard NFU 44-051), bio-waste anaerobic digestion, SRF (Solid Recovered Fuel) production, and material recycling. For each stream, forecast tonnages, contracted outlets, expected recovery rates and ICPE compliance must be specified.
Urban cleanliness: sweeping, washing, litter bins
The urban cleanliness component includes: mechanical and manual sweeping, litter bin emptying, market cleaning, fly-tipping removal and graffiti treatment. The proposal must present the cleanliness plan by sector with frequencies, schedules, dedicated staff, and quality indicators.
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